Fence-post



(No Model.)

. E. R. GOPELAND.

FENCE POST. No. 323,793,A Patented Aug. 4, 1885.

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NITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.,

EDVIN It. OOPELAND, OF MONROE, VISCONSIN.

FENCE-POST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters lPatent No. 323,793, dated August 4, 1885.

i Appia-anon mea Api-i1 2, 1884. (Nomadi-,1.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN It. CoPELAND, a resident of Monroe, in the county of Green and State of Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Posts; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in wire fences, and more especially to posts adapted for that class of fences, and means for securing them in the ground, and of securing the wires of the fence to them.

The construction of the fence embodying my invention is fully described and explained inthe following` specification, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of a single post, showing the wires in position and the anchoring-plate at the foot of the post. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the sanie,showing anchoringwires and anchoring-staples. Fig. 8 is a plan of the anchoring-plate. Fig. 4 is a central vertical section thereof through line a: y, Fig. 3. Fig. 5is a side elevation of an anchoringstaple; and Fig. 6, a plan of a corner-post,

showing the method of anchoring.

In these views,A is my improved fence-post, consisting of two strips of half-round or halfoval iron fastened together by means of rivets or bolts D D. The rivets may be placed at any desired distance apart; but it is preferable to make the spaces between them the same as the spaces between the fence-wires C O,which pass between the two strips forming each post. In case the rivets are spaced, as suggested, it is best to place each of them immediately below the corresponding fence-wire, as by means of this arrangement the wire is not only held in place by the pressure of the strips on either side of it, but also is supported by resting on the rivet, if necessary. The upper ends of the two strips forming the post A are preferably in the same horizontal plane, while at the lower end one of the stripsis somewhat longer than the other, as shown in Fig. 2. The lower ends of both strips enter a circular socket, H, at the center of a circular plate, B, preferably of cast-iron or other suitable metal. The end of the shorter strip rests on a semicircular step, I, which forms the bottom of half the socket H,while the longer strip passes through a semicircular opening, G, in the bottom of the socket, and extends below the plate .and into the ground a sufficient distance to prevent lateral motion of the bottom of the post so long as itis not raised out of the ground. Each of the posts, except the corner-posts, is held firmly in place by means of two anchoring-wires, E E, Fig. 2, the upper ends of which pass between the strips of the post, and are fastened by twisting or knotting, as at F,while the lower end of each is secured by wrapping it about the bight of a wrought-iron staple, J, driven a suitable distance into the ground. The strain of the fence-wires is sufficient to prevent lateral motion of the postsin the plane of the fence, and therefore two anchors are sufcient to hold those posts which do not stand at the fence-corners. On the cornerposts, however, the strain of the fence-wires is in two planes at right angles to each other, and these posts must therefore be braced from four directions instead of two. I therefore brace them as shown in Fig. 6, in which the middle of each of the anchoring-wires E is between the strips of the post, while its ends are fastened to staples ninety degrees apart on a circle having the post for its center. The corner-post might be braced by wires passing to two staples, each lying in the plane of one of the two lines of fence meeting at the corner, the positions of the two wires being indicated by dotted lines at J J', Fig. 6; but I prefer the mode of anchoring already described as being more secure.

I have already said that the two strips forming each post may be fastened together by',

the fence thus be made in lengths, the end posts of each length of fence should be put together with bolts in order to facilitate the splicing of the contiguous lengths. This splicing is effected by simplyloosening the bolts and sliproo ping the ends of the wires of the two contiguous lengths of fence through the same post, and then tightening thebolts. Thelower wire in Fig. l is represented as spliced in this inanner, the ends of the two wires G C being passed through the post in opposite directions, and held in place by the pressure of the two strips forming the post.

Having now described my invent-ion, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the post A,consisting ot' two metallic strips, wires C, passing between said strips, bolts or rivets I), connecting said strips and supporting said wires, and anchoring-plate B, provided with socket H, step I, and opening G, one :of said strips resting 0n said step and the other passing through said opening, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib- 3 5 ing witnesses.

EDWIN n. eornLAND.

Vitliesses:

C. W. VRIeIrr, E. C. CornLliNn. 

